Rep. Choo Mi-ae, center, of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea, who plans to run for governor of Gyeonggi Province, poses with her supporters at Moran Traditional Market in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, the political hometown of President Lee Jae Myung, Feb. 14. Newsis
In 31 years of elected local government under democratic rule, Korea has chosen 87 metropolitan governors and mayors — and every single one has been a man.
Since 1995, when the country revived direct regional elections after more than three decades of authoritarian rule that had stripped citizens of the right to pick their own local leaders, women have been shut out of the top tier of provincial power — a record unmatched among major democracies in Asia.
With the June 3 local elections now less than 100 days away, at least six women are vying for top regional posts across Seoul, Gyeonggi Province and Daegu, raising hopes that the glass ceiling in Korean local democracy may finally crack.
Rep. Choo Mi-ae of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) is leading early polls for the Gyeonggi Province governor race, a seat overseeing the country's most populous province. A local media OhmyNews survey conducted between Feb. 13 and 14 by Realmeter put Choo — a six-term lawmaker and former justice minister — at 27 percent among 802 Gyeonggi voters, ahead of incumbent Gov. Kim Dong-yeon at 21.2 percent. Among DPK supporters alone, her lead widened to 41.9 percent.
Rep. Na Kyung-won of the People Power Party delivers a New Year’s address during the party’s Seoul chapter gathering for 2026 in Yeouido, Seoul, Jan. 14. Newsis
In the Seoul mayoral race, Reps. Jeon Hyun-heui and Seo Young-kyo have declared bids on the ruling party side, while former Rep. Yun Hee-suk and Rep. Na Kyung-won are in the mix for the opposition People Power Party. Former broadcasting regulator Lee Jin-sook has announced a run for mayor in the southeastern conservative stronghold of Daegu.
The roster is likely the most crowded in recent years, yet history counsels caution. In 2010, former Prime Minister Han Myeong-sook lost the Seoul mayoral race by just 0.6 percentage points. In 2022, Kim Eun-hye fell short in Gyeonggi by a razor-thin 0.15 points. Across all past elections, only 29 women have ever run for the 17 metropolitan posts and all 87 people who have actually held those seats have been men.
A recent report published by the Korean Women's Development Institute (KWDI), titled “Challenges faced by women politicians in metropolitan mayoral elections and measures to improve entry barriers,” points to the political system — not public opinion — as the chief obstacle.
In a nationwide survey of 1,000 voters conducted by researchers last July, 77.6 percent agreed on the need for a female metropolitan leader. Among them, 86.7 percent of women and 87.5 percent of progressives said yes, as did 67.7 percent of self-identified conservatives.
Source: Korea Times News
